Tucson, Ariz. (February 22, 2019) – Fred Couples has committed to play in next week’s Cologuard Classic PGA TOUR Champions event at Omni Tucson National. The 59-year old Couples joins a stellar field that currently includes 37 major championship wins and 540 career victories on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions. The Tucson Conquistadores and title sponsor Cologuard also extended the final sponsor exemption to two-time PGA TOUR Champions winner, Willie Wood. A field of 78 players will vie for the $1.7 million purse with a first-place prize of $255,000.
Couples has 13 career victories on the PGA TOUR Champions and 15 career PGA TOUR wins, including the 1991 Masters. In addition to Couples, the 2019 Cologuard Classic field includes defending tournament champion Steve Stricker, Darren Clarke, Retief Goosen, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Jerry Kelly, Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman, Scott McCarron, Colin Montgomerie, José María Olazábal and Hal Sutton.
In addition to Wood, others to receive sponsor exemptions include, Hall-of-Fame pitcher John Smoltz; former University of Arizona golfers David Berganio and Robert Gamez; and two-time major championship winner, John Daly. In addition, the Cologuard Classic Monday Qualifier, held at Oro Valley Country Club on Monday, February 25th, will produce the final four golfers for the tournament field.
The full 2019 Cologuard Classic field (as of 2/22/2019) includes:
Allen, Michael
Ames, Stephen
Andrade, Billy
Armour III, Tommy
Austin, Woody
Berganio, David *
Broadhurst, Paul
Browne, Olin
Bryant, Bart
Calcavecchia, Mark
Clarke, Darren
Cochran, Russ
Couples, Fred
Dawson, Marco
Day, Glen
Daly, John *
DiMarco, Chris
Dunlap, Scott
Durant, Joe
Estes, Bob
Flesch, Steve
Forsman, Dan
Frost, David
Gamez, Robert *
Gilbert III, Gibby
Gillis, Tom
Goosen, Retief
Goydos, Paul
Hoch, Scott
Janzen, Lee
Jiménez, Miguel Angel
Jobe, Brandt
Jones, Kent
Kelly, Jerry
Kendall, Skip
Kite, Tom
Kraft, Greg
Kresge, Cliff
Langer, Bernhard
Lehman, Tom
Lyle, Sandy
Maggert, Jeff
Mayfair, Billy
McCarron, Scott
McKenzie, David
Mediate, Rocco
Mize, Larry
Montgomerie, Colin
O'Meara, Mark
Olazábal, José María
Parel, Scott
Parnevik, Jesper
Pavin, Corey
Pernice Jr., Tom
Perry, Kenny
Petrovic, Tim
Roberts, Loren
Sauers, Gene
Short, Jr., Wes
Sindelar, Joey
Sluman, Jeff
Smith, Jerry
Smoltz, John *
Stricker, Steve
Sutherland, Kevin
Sutton, Hal
Tanigawa, Ken
Toms, David
Triplett, Kirk
Tway, Bob
Verplank, Scott
Waldorf, Duffy
Wood, Willie *
*Sponsor Exemptions
The 2019 Cologuard Classic will be played February 27 – March 3 at Omni Tucson National Resort and features a 78-player field competing for a $1.7 million purse with $255,000 and 255 Charles Schwab Cup points for the winner. The no-cut format includes three days of competition (Friday-Sunday) with players participating in pro-am events on Wednesday and Thursday. Tournament proceeds benefit youth athletic programs in Southern Arizona and colorectal cancer research and advocacy. For more information or tournament tickets, visit www.cologuardclassic.com.
2019 marks the second year of the Cologuard Classic, named after Wisconsin-based Exact Sciences’ noninvasive at-home colon cancer screening test for average-risk individuals 50 years or older, and the fifth year the Conquistadores have partnered with the PGA TOUR Champions. To coincide with the kickoff of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, tournament week will feature numerous events to raise awareness for the disease.
ABOUT COLOGUARD
Cologuard is intended for the qualitative detection of colorectal neoplasia associated DNA markers and for the presence of occult hemoglobin in human stool. A positive result may indicate the presence of colorectal cancer (CRC) or advanced adenoma (AA) and should be followed by diagnostic colonoscopy. Cologuard is indicated to screen adults of either sex, 50 years or older, who are at typical average-risk for CRC. Cologuard is not a replacement for diagnostic colonoscopy or surveillance colonoscopy in high risk individuals.
Cologuard is not for high risk individuals, including those with a history of colorectal cancer and advanced adenoma, a family history of colorectal cancer, IBD or certain hereditary syndromes. Positive Cologuard results should be referred to diagnostic colonoscopy. A negative Cologuard test result does not guarantee absence of cancer or advanced adenoma. Following a negative result, patients should continue participating in a screening program at an interval and with a method appropriate for the individual patient. Cologuard performance when used for repeat testing has not been evaluated or established. Rx only.
ABOUT PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS PGA TOUR
Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 32 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. In 2019, the PGA TOUR Champions schedule includes 27 tournaments across the United States, Japan, England and Canada, with purses totaling nearly $58 million. The Charles Schwab Cup, which includes the Regular Season and the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, is used to determine the season-long champion. All events are televised in the United States, with most receiving complete coverage on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Internationally, telecasts air in excess of 190 countries and territories, reaching more than 350 million potential households. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions, on Twitter @ChampionsTour and on Instagram @pgatourchampions.
ABOUT THE TUCSON CONQUISTADORES
The Tucson Conquistadores are the host organization of the PGA TOUR Champions’ Cologuard Classic. Since their inception in 1962, the Conquistadores have contributed more than $35 million to youth athletic programs in Southern Arizona. The Conquistadores have an active membership of up to 60 business and community professionals and a total membership of 215 who represent a cross-section of the Tucson community. In addition to their professional golf activities, the group has established the Tucson Conquistadores Foundation. Key beneficiaries of the Conquistadores' fund-raising efforts include: The First Tee of Tucson; Tucson and Pima County Junior Golf Programs; the Field of Dreams/Challenger Little League sports complex; Boys and Girls Clubs in Tucson, Sierra Vista and Nogales; Pima County Special Olympics; Educational Enrichment Foundation; Tucson Urban League; and the YMCA.
Tournament Media Contact: Rob Myers, rob@rmprgroup.com, 602-317-6131
